The Gospel According to Anne Rice

[RedcoatJones]

[PaulDA]

I would love to read the novel about jesus by Anne Rice but since she is writing it from a Roman Catholic perspective (I read that she is saying that James is only Jesus' half brother, Joseph's son from a former marriage), that I don't think I want to read it.
No doubt she will also say that Mary never had sex with Joseph and never had other kids.
Since I believe Mary had sex with Jospeh soon after Jesus was born, (Matthew 1:25), and that she indeed did have other children who were jesus' real brothers and sisters, I would not enjoy the ovel.

[Vlad!]

I would love to read the novel about jesus by Anne Rice but since she is writing it from a Roman Catholic perspective (I read that she is saying that James is only Jesus' half brother, Joseph's son from a former marriage), that I don't think I want to read it.

You would love to read it, but you don't want to. Clever.

[Aaron]

I would love to read the novel about jesus by Anne Rice but since she is writing it from a Roman Catholic perspective (I read that she is saying that James is only Jesus' half brother, Joseph's son from a former marriage), that I don't think I want to read it.
No doubt she will also say that Mary never had sex with Joseph and never had other kids.
Since I believe Mary had sex with Jospeh soon after Jesus was born, (Matthew 1:25), and that she indeed did have other children who were jesus' real brothers and sisters, I would not enjoy the ovel.

God forbid you read a book written by a Catholic.  

You've just read a description, not the entire book.  



Nice of you to assume you know what Rice wrote.  


Maybe you should give the book a chance rather than writing it off just because it might not agree with your views.  


Ignorance is bliss, eh?

[PaulDA]

I would love to read the novel about jesus by Anne Rice but since she is writing it from a Roman Catholic perspective (I read that she is saying that James is only Jesus' half brother, Joseph's son from a former marriage), that I don't think I want to read it.
No doubt she will also say that Mary never had sex with Joseph and never had other kids.
Since I believe Mary had sex with Jospeh soon after Jesus was born, (Matthew 1:25), and that she indeed did have other children who were jesus' real brothers and sisters, I would not enjoy the ovel.

God forbid you read a book written by a Catholic.  

You've just read a description, not the entire book.  



Nice of you to assume you know what Rice wrote.  


Maybe you should give the book a chance rather than writing it off just because it might not agree with your views.  


Ignorance is bliss, eh?

It has already been stated that Rice is going to make James the half brother of jesus by saying Joseph is his father with another wife.
This is a fact and I am not assuming what she will write.
I believe James is Jesus full brother so I will not read a novel that says otherwise.
Why should I give the novel a chance if it doesn't agree with the view that Mary had sex with Joseph and had other children?
You can call it ignorance, I call it using discernment and not reading something I consider false doctrine.
Just like I won't read the 'Left Behind' series because I don't for one minute believe in a pretrib rapture.

[PaulDA]

You would love to read it, but you don't want to. Clever.

What I meant, and I thought I said it clearly enough, was when I first read that Rice was writing this novel, I wanted to read it, but as soon as I found out she is going to write it from a Roman Catholic perspective and was definetely going to say James is only Jesus half brother, with Joseph being his father from a previous marriage, and not Jesus' full brother from Mary, I knew I would not want to read it.
I don't believe in the Roman Catholic views on this so why should I read a novel that perpetuates this belief?

[Brenden]

What I meant, and I thought I said it clearly enough, was when I first read that Rice was writing this novel, I wanted to read it, but as soon as I found out she is going to write it from a Roman Catholic perspective and was definetely going to say James is only Jesus half brother, with Joseph being his father from a previous marriage, and not Jesus' full brother from Mary, I knew I would not want to read it.
I don't believe in the Roman Catholic views on this so why should I read a novel that perpetuates this belief?

Because it might be a well written novel despite you not agreeing with it?

[PaulDA]

What I meant, and I thought I said it clearly enough, was when I first read that Rice was writing this novel, I wanted to read it, but as soon as I found out she is going to write it from a Roman Catholic perspective and was definetely going to say James is only Jesus half brother, with Joseph being his father from a previous marriage, and not Jesus' full brother from Mary, I knew I would not want to read it.
I don't believe in the Roman Catholic views on this so why should I read a novel that perpetuates this belief?

Because it might be a well written novel despite you not agreeing with it?

I don't care if it is the best written novel of all time.
If it has false beliefs in it about Jesus I don't want to fill my head with it.
That other novel that sold millions, The Da Vinci Code, was a well written novel by all accounts, but I would NEVER, in a million years, read trash like that, that says My Lord had sex with Mary Magdeline!!

[Brenden]

What I meant, and I thought I said it clearly enough, was when I first read that Rice was writing this novel, I wanted to read it, but as soon as I found out she is going to write it from a Roman Catholic perspective and was definetely going to say James is only Jesus half brother, with Joseph being his father from a previous marriage, and not Jesus' full brother from Mary, I knew I would not want to read it.
I don't believe in the Roman Catholic views on this so why should I read a novel that perpetuates this belief?

Because it might be a well written novel despite you not agreeing with it?

I don't care if it is the best written novel of all time.
If it has false beliefs in it about Jesus I don't want to fill my head with it.
That other novel that sold millions, The Da Vinci Code, was a well written novel by all accounts, but I would NEVER, in a million years, read trash like that, that says My Lord had sex with Mary Magdeline!!

What's so bad about someone saying Jesus was married? It's not a sin after all. I've never read The Davinci Code myself because I never was interested.

Also, I read books all the time that say things I don't believe, if I'm really right, what do I have to worry about? It's just like I listen to artists who I don't agree with the theology they espouse, but they still make good music.

[PaulDA]

What's so bad about someone saying Jesus was married? It's not a sin after all. I've never read The Davinci Code myself because I never was interested.

Also, I read books all the time that say things I don't believe, if I'm really right, what do I have to worry about? It's just like I listen to artists who I don't agree with the theology they espouse, but they still make good music.

If a person believes something that is not Biblical, that is clear in the Bible, that is a sin in my eyes.
It is a sin to say Jesus was married because the Bible says He wasn't.
It is a sin to say Jesus didn't have real brothers and sisters because the Bible said He did.
It is a sin to say Mary died a virgin and was ascended to Heaven because the Bible says she she was a human being who had sex with her husband and had other children.
It is NOT a sin to believe in a pre-trib rapture because the Bible is not clear on that, although I do not believe it.

^I don't know of any CCM artists that say the first three things in their songs.
They can believe what they want to, just don't put it in writing if it is a false belief.

The pre-trib rapture stuff I feel is also false, but that doesn't matter as much, but I still wouldn't read the 'Left Behind' series because why should I waste hours of time reading about something I feel is a false doctrine?

[Brenden]

If a person believes something that is not Biblical, that is clear in the Bible, that is a sin in my eyes.

Doesn't matter if it's a sin in your eyes, though.

It is a sin to say Jesus was married because the Bible says He wasn't.

Where? I think He wasn't, but I see no clear scripture that says He couldn't have been married, and then His wife died before they had children.

It is a sin to say Jesus didn't have real brothers and sisters because the Bible said He did.

I don't think it's a sin so much as just misinterpretation, nobody has perfect theology after all. And does the Bible say Joseph had never married before?

It is a sin to say Mary died a virgin and was ascended to Heaven because the Bible says she she was a human being who had sex with her husband and had other children.

I give you that, it's clear joseph had sex with mary after Jesus was born. As far as it being a sin, I'm not so sure.

It is NOT a sin to believe in a pre-trib rapture because the Bible is not clear on that, although I do not believe it.

Me, I don't know what I think on the topic because I figure if it really mattered we'd have a more clear way of telling. We do in other areas.

^I don't know of any CCM artists that say the first three things in their songs.

Neither do I, but then if they did I suppose you'd know if it was a popular artist.

They can believe what they want to, just don't put it in writing if it is a false belief.

I have false beliefs, I don't know which ones they are, but I'm sure I have them. I'm also sure you have false beliefs, and Derek Webb has false beliefs, and Rebecca St. James has false beliefs. I don't care so much if someone is writing about a false belief, but I care if they're obviously trying to push that on me when I know it's false. Otherwise, I can take the good that I can get from it and leave it at that. Nothing says I have to agree with everything, or even most of, what someone says for me to learn from them.

The pre-trib rapture stuff I feel is also false, but that doesn't matter as much, but I still wouldn't read the 'Left Behind' series because why should I waste hours of time reading about something I feel is a false doctrine?

If we were talking well-written fiction or non-fiction, it would be to better understand it so you could defend your position better. But the Left Behind series are neither of those, so just don't bother with them.

[PaulDA]

^Of course we ALL have false beliefs!
I am not doubting that for one second.
My point is, when something is clearly said in the Bible and people don't use the Bible, but use human tradition to deny it, that is sinful.

I do see people's points about reading different things to see where people are coming from, and if we are strong in our beliefs it shouldn't matter.
I just bristle when I see things like this novel, it really gets to me.

[Brenden]

I do see people's points about reading different things to see where people are coming from, and if we are strong in our beliefs it shouldn't matter.

Ok, just so you see my point.

I just bristle when I see things like this novel, it really gets to me.

There are things I have similar reactions towards.

[Vlad!]

I don't read fiction for doctrine, I read it for entertainment. If you don't want to read it then that's fine, although I don't think a fictional account that describes something which isn't true is sinful.  

[PaulDA]

I wrote this in the same thread in the rsjames forum, so I may as well write it here also:

Ok, ok.....in the spirit of keeping an open mind, because after all, none of us is anywhere near perfect, I will try to put myself in the mind of someone else who has been brought up differently than I have and amybe look at things from other perspective, even if I don't agree.
In this light, I will do a complete about face, and I may read the novel now
to see how Rice comes at things from her relationship with God.
 

[danny316]

Yeesh Paul, you're acting like a little blasphemy is a big deal. Lighten up!  

[Josh]

Yeesh Paul, you're acting like a little blasphemy is a big deal. Lighten up!

Uh...    

[PaulDA]

Yeesh Paul, you're acting like a little blasphemy is a big deal. Lighten up!

Well, I admit that I am looking at things purely from the perspective of what I have been taught and what I have researched on my own.
I am no scholar, there are scholars on both sides who have studied for years to come up with the things they come up with, and even they disagree.
I don't think our salvation is based on those beliefs anyway.